Talent and identity: a hermeneutic exploration of employee perspectives

This research is a reflexive hermeneutic study of the interplay between identity and inclusive talent management in smaller organizations. The in-depth research design uses the diary interview method to enable reflection and to explore employee perspectives. The work looks at how the respondents make sense of talent management, and what this implies for Human Resource and management practice. What do talent management meanings and identity mechanisms of employees reveal if we listen and take them into account? The research contributes to literature by exploring the under-examined area of talent management and identity. The research shows that the sense-making of talent and talent management is based on individual and extra-individual factors. On the one hand, personal values and the self inspire how people assign meaning to talent and talent management. The research introduces employees as meaning creators with an active role in talent management and presents implications for theory and practice. The work illustrates that self and social-identities are indeed interwoven with talent management. It introduces the concepts of talent self-identity and talent-identity which are related to the notion of talent status. Extra-individual factors on the other hand, which are talent discourses and actions, also shape individual talent meanings and start identity creation processes. Talent management enables individual agency and regulates identity. Through pointing out positive and negative employee reactions, the research adds to theory and practice regarding the “dark side” of talent management and psychological contracts in inclusive talent management. The study further shows how power, responsibility and rewards are interrelated with talent meanings and identity formation. The work contributes to practice by suggesting agency and structure on demand for the design of talent programs.